Ceremony held for photography graduation

The graduation ceremony for Photography training was held at Dharubaaruge on 24 September, 2017. A total of 414 students graduated in the ceremony and were awarded National Certificate 3 in Photography. The ceremony was organized by TVET Authority in collaboration with Ministry of Economic Development and some key officials of the Ministry of Education.

The training was successful, partly, because of the unrelenting support of the Ministry of Economic Development and some other organisations such as Bank of Maldives in facilitating key arrangements required for the training. It is worth noting that the photography training was launched on 25 April, 2016 by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Education to conduct these trainings. The MoU was signed by Minister of Economic Development Hon Mohamed Saeed and Minister of Education Hon Dr. Aishath Shiham on behalf of respective ministries.

The chief guest of the ceremony was His Excellency President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom. His Excellency President’s participation in the ceremony was a huge encouragement for organisers and students alike. Furthermore, his in-depth and over-arching speech was a huge boost to the morale of TVET students who attended and followed the event.

Overall, HE President Yameen’s speech reconfirmed the commitment of his government for vocational education. President’s speech touch-based the importance of skills training for various jobs available in the expanding and diversifying economy of the Maldives. He pointed out the importance of entrepreneurship and youth engagement in the economy of the country. He also highlighted the need for more participation of women and girls in various economic activities and jobs available by getting rid of typical stereotype jobs associated with women.

Two ministers who played key roles in conducting this training in photography, addressed the gathering as well. Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Shiham delivered a well-articulated speech in the ceremony. Her speech presented vital information and statistics about the output of various TVET offerings and training in the Maldives. Regarding the photography graduates, Minister noted that more than hundred photography graduates have already found jobs in photography – mostly in resorts. Similarly, Minister of Economic Development Mr. Mohamed Saeed delivered a speech explaining some key points related to this training; including the keen interest of the President to equip youth with necessary skills needed to be employed in various sectors. He also reiterated on the ample opportunities available for skills trainees in various sectors including photography.